Distributor Takes Another Run for Congress

Dee Adcock is trying it again. The president/co-owner of pool equipment distributor W.W. Adcock in Huntingdon Valley, Pa., expects to have the GOP nomination for the 13th Congressional District come mid-March.

This will be his second time running after failing to unseat congresswoman Allyson Schwartz in 2010.

What makes Adcock think his chances are any better this time around? Two things: 1. The seat is open. Rep. Schwartz has thrown her hat in the ring for Pennsylvania governor. 2. Look at what he accomplished four years ago.

Adcock earned an impressive 44 percent of the vote in 2010 battling a well-entrenched Democratic incumbent in a deep-blue seat. That likely makes him the only credible contender among Republicans vying for a GOP nod, among them a banker-turned-whistle-blower and a GOP committeeman.

He’ll enter his second race with a high level of name recognition garnered during his first campaign, and a message that he believes will resonate with voters in an economy that’s still spotty four years later.

“I’m just running on a belief that we need to get our economy going by not overly restricting it, not holding it back, not growing government,” Adcock said. “It’s small businesses that produce well over half of all the new jobs created in our country — businesses like we have in the pool industry.”

He managed to raise $400,000 for his 2010 campaign, paltry compared with the millions of dollars his opponent spent on ads portraying him as a soulless businessman who sent jobs overseas.

“If I had the money to respond, I would have explained to her that I’m a distributor,” Adcock said. “I don’t even know how to send jobs overseas.”

But those ads, he said, were aired as a last-ditch effort on Rep. Schwartz’s part because the race was too close for her comfort.

This time, being a businessman should bode well for the congressional hopeful. “Voters always talk about the fact that they’re tired of lawyers and politicians,” said Adcock who, along with his brother, Dale, helped grow a small retail store into an industry household name with 100-plus employees operating in seven states.

It’s because of his success that he’s running again.

“To a large degree, I’ve been able to live the American dream. I’ve been able to take care of my family and take risks and work hard and enjoy the fruits of my labor and efforts,” Adcock said. “That is something that is rapidly fading if we stay on our present course and leaders continue to fundamentally transform America.”